February 27, 2008

 

Singapore's first: Designer eggs with lower cholesterol, anti-cancer traits

 

An eFeedLink Exclusive

 

 

As Asian consumers gravitate more towards healthier food choices, two Singaporean companies introduced the idea of healthier eggs with 30 percent lower cholesterol and cancer-fighting agents, the cordyceps eggs.

 

The benefits of cordyceps sinensis, a type of mushroom also known as caterpillar fungus, have been tapped centuries ago, most prominently in China, where it was first discovered and utilized to cure various ailments.

 

AP Nutripharm, Singapore-based biotechnology firm, decided to accelerate the cultivation of cordyceps sinensis to 9 to 10 days in laboratories instead of 12 months in nature, to reap and incorporate its efficacy to chicken diets.

 

Mark Xu, the firm's managing director and CEO, explained that it took two years to attain the desired chicken feed that allows cordyceps nutritional values to be passed on to the chicken eggs.

 

Xu also pointed out the need to provide an alternative to antibiotics in animal feeds. The cordyceps feed boosted the energy and immunity of the chicken, he affirmed.

 

Chew Agriculture was the first egg producer to try Nutripharm's cordyceps feed and has so far validated the target results.

 

Tan Chee Nam, production manager of Chew Agriculture, said since the eggs' launching in early December 2007, the market's response has been positive, with sales climbing and customers returning to buy more.

 

The two companies noted that the most salient attributes of cordyceps eggs are its heavier-than-normal weight and superior taste. The egg yolk is sweeter with smoother albumen texture, they said.

 

Most importantly, the eggs were proven to support healthy lung and kidney and contain anti-bacteria, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties for humans.

 

The eggs are currently distributed in packs of six at SGD3.95 (US$2.82) each in major Singapore supermarkets. Chew Agriculture mentioned the possibility of exporting these eggs to offshore markets in future.

 

Furthermore, AP Nutrifarm said they are looking on cordyceps feed that will also enhance the meat of chicken and pig.

 

Xu emphasized that the firm will still tap farmers or livestock producers directly instead of going through feed mills to dispense the firm's latest line of animal feed products.

 

AP Nutripharm was previously known as Auric Pacific Nutritech (APN), a manufacturer of the popular Chinese herbs such as cordyceps sinensis by its patented technology.

 

Focused on human health supplements, the firm is venturing to animal feed nutrition, with cordyceps feed as its first major product.

 

 

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